FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Charles Miller, Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper, charles@mowaterkeeper.org, 314-884-1473

Unprecedented Analysis Reveals Shocking Levels of PFAS Contamination in Nation’s Waterways, Including Missouri

First-of-its kind study by Waterkeeper Alliance found 83% of the waters tested across the country were contaminated by dangerous PFAS chemicals

READ THE REPORT HERE

St. Louis, Missouri / October 18, 2022 — Today, Waterkeeper Alliance released a groundbreaking new analysis of American waterways that sounds the alarm on a PFAS pollution emergency. In a test of 114 waterways from across the country, 83% were found to contain at least one type of PFAS—dangerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are widely linked to serious public health and environmental impacts. In the sampling we took in the Coldwater Creek watershed located in St. Louis, Missouri, we found more than 20 individual PFAS-class chemicals. These included PFOA and PFOS, the two most prevalent PFAS, which EPA has recently proposed listing as hazardous substances. Our samples included the highest concentration of total PFAS among all Waterkeeper organizations in the Midwest.

“We knew that PFAS are found nearly everywhere, but the results from our samples underscore how certain communities bear disproportionate burdens from all types of pollution,” said Charles Miller, Policy Manager at Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper. “It really underscores the fact that there needs to be accountability for the corporations that have used North County as a dumping ground for radioactive and toxic waste for decades.”

A total of 113 local Waterkeepers, including Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper, collected samples from 114 waterways across 34 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.). Independent analysis indicates a shocking level of contamination, with 94 participating Waterkeeper groups confirming the presence of PFAS in their waterways. Waterways in 29 states and D.C. were found to be contaminated by at least one, but most frequently, many revealed the presence of up to 35 different PFAS compounds.

“When we began testing waterways for PFAS earlier this year, we knew that our country had a significant PFAS problem, but these findings confirm that was an understatement. This is a widespread public health and environmental crisis that must be addressed immediately by Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To begin tackling this urgent problem, Congress should start by passing the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2022, and EPA must prioritize using the funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to coordinate national monitoring and adopt regulatory standards for PFAS contamination. This report provides the information necessary for federal and state governments to take action and protect the health and safety of our communities,” said Marc Yaggi, CEO of Waterkeeper Alliance.

In some places, like creeks connected to the Potomac River in Maryland, the Lower Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, and the Niagara River in New York, the level of contamination is thousands to hundreds of thousands times higher than what experts say is safe for drinking water. This is of particular concern as an estimated 65% of Americans source their drinking water from surface waters similar to those sampled.

These findings are an important step toward filling in a major data gap and validate the Alliance’s call to EPA for increased and widespread monitoring to gain a complete picture of PFAS contamination in all watersheds across the country. Key findings include:

In the Midwest region, the highest total PFAS concentration for all detections in a sample was 417.8 ppt, found in the downstream sample collected by Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper from Coldwater Creek, a tributary of the Missouri River.
Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper is currently testing surface and drinking water for PFAS and other contaminants of emerging concern as part of a multi-year project.
Noting that Governor Parson has declared October 2022 as Clean Water Month in the state of Missouri, Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper is urging Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to take decisive action to protect Missourians from this pollution crisis through its upcoming PFAS Workgroup.

Since at least the 1950s, PFAS have been widely used in manufacturing and are found in many consumer, commercial, and industrial products. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS do not break down over time. Instead, these dangerous chemicals accumulate in people, wildlife, and the environment. As a result, PFAS have been found in surface water, air, soil, food, and many commercial materials. Scientific studies increasingly link these toxic chemicals to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver and kidney disease, reproductive issues, immunodeficiencies, and hormonal disruptions.

Despite serious health risks, there are currently no universal, science-based limits on the various PFAS chemicals in the United States. For many PFAS chemicals, the EPA has not even set a health advisory limit that would give the public a baseline to determine what amount of PFAS is unhealthy in drinking water. In most cases, the EPA is not doing adequate monitoring for these chemicals, which is why these findings are so unique and important.

This data plainly demonstrates that Congress and EPA must act with urgency to control persistent PFAS contamination across the country. The current lack of oversight puts the health and safety of communities and ecosystems across the nation at risk and results in costly cleanup and treatment activities to remove PFAS contamination after it has occurred. To learn more, visit mowaterkeeper.org/pfas.

###